This is the city: Los Angeles, California. I work here. I'm an ex-mayor. Los Angeles is a magnet for people from all over the world. Some of them run for public office. Inevitably some of them stray from the golden rule and rule for those that have the gold. That's when I go to work. My name is Yorty. I'm a dead pol.

Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Ten Accomplishments to Build On

From Pacheco's mouth to your ears, we bring you the newest spam-mail:

Dear Friends:

As Councilmember for the 14th Council District I had some successes that I would like to share with you. Many of these were done in collaboration with the community and others were done by my staff working closely with the City departments. Either way, they are only the beginning and I look forward to returning to service and bringing a "sense of community" to the 14th Council District.

I felt that the only solution to bringing cleaner streets in our neighborhoods was through a joint venture with the community. I worked with the Department of Public Works to coordinate volunteers and promote "spring cleaning" in every part of the district. Each day ended with an environmental fair involving CBOs, environmental groups, and Public Works. This program started in CD 14 and has spread to 6 more council districts in the City. Councilman Villaraigosa changed the name of these events to “A Day of Service” and built them up to the point that thousands now show up.

2. Neighborhood Prosecutor Program

After September 11 the City of Los Angeles has a shortage of police officers in the neighborhoods because they were protecting the airport and other sensitive areas. During this time, City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo asked me to introduce the motion to create the Neighborhood Prosecutor Program and as Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee I pushed it through the council. This was at a time that we had very few resources for new projects, but public safety trumps all other programs.

3. Washington Boulevard Bulky Item Drop Off Center

The Bulky Item drop off center was Lloyd Monserratt's idea and I fought hard to get it funded. I put $2.4 million dollars into the 2003-2004 budget so that South Los Angeles, Hollywood and the Valley could get their requested bulky item drop off centers, but unfortunately all were closed down after I left the council. I am committed to re-open this center and expand it throughout the City.

I fought hard to make sure that Los Angeles received a Youth Opportunity grant from the Department of Labor. I convinced then Mayor Riordan to add $1 million into the application for a new City facility in Boyle Heights to eventually house the YO program. The program has grown into the Valley and will be a permanent City program. I put together close to $9 million dollars to build the 20,000 square foot center.

5. Evergreen Cemetery Jogging Path

The Evergreen Jogging Path is the most creative project I have ever worked on. The sidewalk surrounding Evergreen Cemetery (1.4 miles) was torn out and replaced with a rubber/cement compound made of recycled automobile tires. The project was designed to minimize rain run-off into the storm drains. I can see the City replicating this type of project and embracing the use of rubber/cement sidewalks everywhere.

6. Doña Street Signs

The City will no longer misspell Dona Teresa; it will be correctly labeled as Doña Teresa. I received international press on this item.

7. Automated Toilet Program

("European Style" Public Toilets)

I visited San Francisco with then Public Works Commissioner Woody Fleming and returned with the goal to have these self-cleaning toilets in Los Angeles, especially for areas with larger number of homeless or tourists. They will soon be all over the City.

8. Affordable Housing Trust Fund

($100 Million Dollar Motion: CF# 01-1458)

I was asked by the housing advocates to create a housing trust fund in 1999. They were not optimistic but I convinced then Mayor Riordan to start one with $5 Million for 2000-2001 and then doubled it for 2001-2002. In July of 2001, the Council adopted my motion (01-1458) to pursue placing $100 million in the fund.

9. Neighborhood Leadership Institute

The Councilman, working with City departments (especially Public Works) trained average residents on how to access City services. Council District 13 began a similar program after ours was initiated and other District Offices are considering following this model.

10. CLARTS Community Amenities Fund

I negotiated an Amenities Fund for CD 14 when the Department of Sanitation wanted to purchase a Recycling and Transfer Station located in CD 14. This fund generates around $1 million dollars a year for CD 14 projects.

As proud as I am about these items, there is still much work to be done. I want CD 14 to have the same sense of community it had when I was growing up: when every family shared in raising the children in the neighborhood. We will get there, but only if we all work to bring government closer to the people it serves.

Join my campaign and share my vision of bringing local government closer to the people.

We, in CD 14, have the resources to energize our neighbors into being a part of the solutions to our problems.

14 Comments:

Since we're on the subject of Councilmans accomplishments... One Councilman is off suing constituents...

Councilman threatens slander suit

Accusations over money given to fund anger Smith

By Kerry Cavanaugh, Staff Writer

NORTHRIDGE -- Leaders of a neighborhood council on Monday accused City Councilman Greig Smith of trying to silence opponents by threatening to file a defamation suit over statements implying he'd been bought off by Wal-Mart.

The angry exchange was prompted by comments made at a public hearing that Smith's support for a proposed Wal-Mart store, given after the company agreed to pay $166,000 into a community fund, was "nothing short of bribery."

Last week, Smith demanded a retraction from Northridge West Neighborhood Vice President Sherry Ramstead, who made the comments, and President Jim Alger, who later repeated them.

"If you fail to comply with these requests, I will have no choice but to proceed in a manner appropriate to protect my rights and reputation," said letters sent to both Alger and Ramstead.

The neighborhood council leaders said they were shocked by Smith's letter.

"It saddens me that Mr. Greig Smith, my councilman, feels a need to threaten me with legal action over a verbal opposition to his position on his issue," Ramstead said in a statement.

Alger, who is running for the Keith Richman's 38th Assembly District seat, said Smith is trying to intimidate his opponents.

"It's going to have a chilling effect on opposition against Mr. Smith. People are always going to be concerned that Mr. Smith is going to use strong-arm tactics against them and their business."

But Smith's chief of staff, Mitchell Englander, said Alger is attacking the councilman to heighten his own political profile. While Smith has put up with mudslinging before, he decided to consider a lawsuit because the accusations were particularly malicious.

"We're not trying to silence anybody. The only thing we're trying to prevent is slander and lying and those kind of tactics."

But Joshua Koltun, a San Francisco attorney who specializes in free-speech issues, said the neighborhood council leaders' statements are based on their opinion -- that the community fund is like a bribe to win support for the project -- which is protected by the First Amendment.

"The court would not let this out of the starting block and in California she (Ramstead) could probably get her attorneys' fees back" if Smith sued her.

Wal-Mart has proposed razing the former Best and Levitz buildings at Nordhoff Street and Tampa Avenue to build a 24-hour store. Some residents have opposed the project, fearing increased traffic to a congested shopping district.

That may be true but what is with this Greig Smith shit? Souns like Smith has completely gone out to lunch attacking people and threatening them with legal action. Should be an ethics violation in there somewhere.

Englander is upset Alger "attacked the councilman" except according to the article, Alger didn't do it! Besides which is Englander, the pot or the kettle? His tactics are well known.

My question is, who is advising Greig? Did he rreally think this wasn't going to get out???

Pacheco is so damn modest. He forgot to list his other major accomplishments -- most of which have been reported on in press:

1) Taking advantage (and threatening the non-profit status) of Mothers of East L.A. by forcing them to pay for an Independent Expenditure on his behalf -- after he funneled the same amount of public funds into their coffers.

2) A really good impression of Gloria Molina (oops, I mean Gloria Marina)in an illegal independent expenditure against Villaraigosa in 2001, again using public funds intended for the Healthy Families program.

3) 4 years of threatening constituents who disagree with him. Don't think this one has been reported on -- YET.

4) 4 years of twisting arms for contributions to pet projects -- and refusing meetings until they pony up the dough.

5) 38 years of being a twisted, angry punk with a sense of entitlement. Before that, I hear he was a decent kid. What happened?

All those who voted for Antonio in CD14 and there are many strong activists are now on TEAMPacheco. They realized all that Nick did for CD14. Yup, those community clean ups Antonio tries to take credit for were actually started by Pacheco. I want to see Little Sleazy Huizy's list of accomplishments. Let's see wanting to spend $49 million on a parking garage, doesn't have documentation to show where $67 million has been spent that was suppose to go to Special Ed students, overcrowded schools, racial tensions,

Dont forget that Pacheco surrounds himself by some of the biggest morons in the history of mankind. I always believe you can judge a man by the company he keeps. And as a CD14 resident, I can tell you his staff have always been unresponsive assholes. His campaign staff is no different. I've seen three different staffers and volunteers of Pacheco's at two different community meetings, and they're all a bunch of creepy weirdoes.

9:07p you apparently haven't been to any community meetings. Go to the Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council tonight at the BH Senior Center at 6pm. You will hear and see how much Pacheco's staff were loved by the community. They returned calls, had good follow through, walked the neighborhoods, did their JOB. Unlike staffers like Urkel aka Paul Hernandez, Lisa "Gabbage Patch" Sarno and the rest who are arrogant as all hell and could careless about constituents.

Don't for get all the sleazy tactics Nick did to try to win cd14! as a constiuent I never recieved any call back from a staffer of Nicks. They were famous for saying "I don't know" rather then saying let me find out. Even Nick himself didn't have any kind of answer when asked about the sidewalks with the buckled trees. Nick adviced me that it was my responsilbilty. So all you Little Nicky groupies catch a clue he was kicked out last time he will be shut out again!!!

Will Nick hire his old girlfriend Adriana Rubalcava to be his Chief of Staff again? Everybody at the hall knows she helped him dress and select a tie everday... It was practically an argument between his other Asian girlfriend and Adriana.